Students will demonstrate an understanding of who a Dramaturg is by participating and presenting research done for a film clip.
Materials Needed
Clip from Shakespeare in Love, reservations for library if needed
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Have the students watch a movie clip from Shakespeare in Love: the scene where they are in the theatre, practicing for the play.
Instruction
Step 1:
Have the students follow you to the library, and find a place where you can sit and have a small discussion.
Ask the students how they think the designers/director/producers of the movie knew how to create a scene that was supposed to be historically like a rehearsal in Shakespeare’s time. How did the Producer know how to make a poster for the movie that reflected the right historical period?
General Answer: Someone had to do some type of research to know what things were like in Shakespeare’s time.
Step 2:
Have the students get in groups of two and go through the library as if they were researching for the movie Shakespeare in Love. Tell them they need to find at least three sources of any kind that have to do with the Shakespearian/Elizabethan historical period. It can be about society, theatre, dress, language, etc.
Step 3:
Have the students return back to the discussion area after sufficient time has been given to research, and ask for volunteers to talk about what they found and how they would use it to create the movie’s atmosphere. Explain and discuss that this is the basic job of a Dramaturg: to be the historical researcher for the production team. Have them write this definition down with the rest of their definitions for the quiz!
Step 4:
Work on Fairytale projects with focus on:
A period to set the show in for the Dramaturg to research
